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When it comes to marketing, nothing gets people more interested in a product than telling them they canít buy it.

Meet the One from OnePlus. It has guts which are similar the Galaxy S5, Xperia Z2, LG G3, HTC One M8 but at $299 it costs half what they cost. Oh, and if you want to buy one, you canít unless you get an invite from OnePlus.

Now Iím not cool enough to get an invite but Andrew definitely is and was kind enough to lend me his.

Letís check it out:Real cost:

How much does a $299 phone really cost?

A Samsung Galaxy S5 costs around $699.99 + taxes off contract which brings the end price too $790 here in Ontario, Canada. Donít forget to tack on another $20-$50 for an unlock.

The OnePlus One is a little more complicated. Andrew picked up the 64GB version for $349.

His $349 ended up costing him $479.06 in the end. Hereís how it worked out:

64GB OnePlus One

$349.99 USD

Shipping

$27.99 USD

total chargeís to Andrewís credit card:

$414.53 CAN

The numbers donít add up until you take into account that Andrew is paying US dollars with his Canadian dollar credit card so there is a currency conversion (around 7%) plus credit cards usually charge around 2% to convert.

He also had to pay DHL $64.53. Working backwards, thatís around $54.50 worth of taxes and around $10 to DHL for brokerage fees.

So, his $349.99 ended up costing close to $500 because of shipping, currency conversion, currency conversion fees, taxes and brokerage fees.

Since most of the competition only offers 16GB (GS5/Z2) or 32GB (HTC One/LG G3) weíll assume the 16GB OPO will cost around $415 since the difference in cost is $50 (which works out to around $60 once you take into account currency conversion + fees and taxes)

$415 is about half what a GS5 will cost you off-contract. Also, donít forget that the OPO is unlocked whereas the GS5 is locked even if you buy it off contract.

The body itself is pretty solid. Thereís no more creaking or flexing when you squeeze it than the competition.

The back cover is replaceable and has a very interesting texture on it. Itís like fine-grit sandpaper.

Thereís actually a very thin plastic frame right around the display. all of that lies on top of a chromed frame.

In terms of usability, the OPO is a fairly large phone but then again so are the competition. While it will fit in most front pockets, it will probably stick out if you put it in a back pocket so be careful if youíre going to the washroom!

Even though there are buttons below the display, I didnít press them by accident too many times like I do when I use Samsungís Galaxy S series of phones. Anyways, if capacitive buttons below the display arenít your thing, you can turn them off and use on-screen buttons instead.

The buttons have press with a nice click but sometimes I wish they stuck out a little bit more.

Regarding the notorious yellow band complaints, I offer my theory... it is due to the backlight light-guide plate design. Since the backlight LEDs are situated at the bottom side of the display instead of from underside, and to minimize bezels, it makes the light sources very close to the edge of the screen. To prevent excessive light leakage, the bottom edge is designed to be slightly opaque, which is why it appears "yellowish" from certain viewing angles. In fact, the uneven light mix and "headlighting" effects could be observed near the bottom of the screen. Now, if you turn on the On-Screen buttons, it will mask the effect once and for all.

To be honest, it does not bother me at all even I prefer not to use On-Screen buttons. It is hardly noticeable to me and I do not view it at extreme angles all the time. I have asked fellow HC, Steve Punter and several OnePlus One owners... same thoughts. Of course, the debate on this topic will never end because it is surely annoying to some. Just is that our expectations with such a reasonably priced handset is more forgiving. If it is something like Apple iPhone or flagships from Samsung, LG, etc., we may scrutinize them more for sure.

Great review Howard! This phone is awesome for the price. As much as I love my Moto X, I think the Oneplus One will be my next phone. I want a large screen with good specs and 64G of included storage(or expandable) for a price under $350, off-contract and unlocked. The only other phone I can think of that meets those criteria is the new Huawei Ascend Mate 2. Speaking of which, will you guys do a review of the Ascend Mate 2?

After all the searches and reviews i picked the OnePlus One and the phone is incredible! No yellow banding here, which btw is glue that can be fixed by putting it under a uv light for about 10-15 minutes, like the ones used in manicure places. The phone is incredibly fast actually destroyed all other phones on the all benchmarks including the LG G3. It is smoother then butter, and i have never had a battery like this! 11 hours on with 5hr15min screen time and 2hr;11 minutes talk time. In between constant use of whatsapp,hangouts,and sms. Web browsing,emails,banking,google search,etc. the sandstone black has a unique soft sandpaper feel to it and the phone is comfortable to hold and has good grip. The screen is vivid and has great viewing angles and since it's a 1080p no lag on the phone as the processor doesn't need to work hard. I recommend this phone to anyone looking for a flagship phone that is as unique as it is beautiful.

If anybody has an invite please send it my way lol. It would greatly appreciated! Just lost my S3 and need to get a new phone. Originally I was going to buy an S5 but the OnePlus One looks like a best bet for somebody like me wanting to keep their old phone plan. Who wants to pay close to $100 for less data? Not this guy...

Great Review by the way! Very informative with the comparisons to each of the current high-end Android phones.

If anybody has an invite please send it my way lol. It would greatly appreciated! Just lost my S3 and need to get a new phone. Originally I was going to buy an S5 but the OnePlus One looks like a best bet for somebody like me wanting to keep their old phone plan. Who wants to pay close to $100 for less data? Not this guy...

Great Review by the way! Very informative with the comparisons to each of the current high-end Android phones.

I just ordered a 1+1 tonight! I'm freaking out over the delivery until it's in my hot little hands! If I get it this week, please pm me if you'd like to try for any invites. I don't know if they'll give any at the time of the phone receipt.

If you're still waiting on an invite and you're willing to have a OnePlus One that was used for literally a few hours, head over to the Buy/Sell/Trade forum here on Howard Forums and look at the one I have for sale there. It's in perfect shape, and I'm selling it at my cost and including an OEM case plus insured shipping.

If you're still waiting on an invite and you're willing to have a OnePlus One that was used for literally a few hours, head over to the Buy/Sell/Trade forum here on Howard Forums and look at the one I have for sale there. It's in perfect shape, and I'm selling it at my cost and including an OEM case plus insured shipping.